The Imperial Ethereal
by Galaxy-Monarch Frosty10001
Summary: A young female Bosmer rents a bed at the Merchant's Inn. However, she doesn't expect for the situation to become a little too ablaze. And how does the legendary hero single-handedly take down the Imperial City? OBLIVION One-Shot.


**Just a minor story of 1,271 words. Please, enjoy this Tamrielic short story. But first, Oblivion is owned by Bethesda Softworks. All notes about this story are at the end.**

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"No... NO! Don't do it!" Praise be the Nine Divines...! Lend me... Some extent of your strength, no... No...! Stop him from murdering me! PLEASE!

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"Have you not heard, a mysterious hero came into the city, and completely destroyed one of the Imperial Guard captains! Thrashed that bastard too, found out he was committing a number of ridiculous crimes while under the impression that he could do whatever he so pleased! Praise be the hero!"

"So I've heard..." Typical talk, within any tavern, whether it's here; The Merchant's Inn, or some other rich, fancy public house. It's always the same news... Thoronir and his stolen loot which wasn't robbed after all... Strangely, all these "quests" were actually done by the hero... In every town, Anvil, Cheydinhal, Leyawiin, he's done it all... He dresses in elegant cyan steel clad armor. His voice was perfectly similar to the imperial duke ruling over the lands of his dukedom. Me, I'm your average female Bosmer... Short, pact with the trees, Valenwood isn't a cozy region exactly, not for my taste. Don't think about judging me because of my pact with the Tree God, I'm not the wood type of person as most inconsiderate people think.

I'm staying at the Merchant's Inn, it's comfortable, and the cheeses, meat and other food are middle class. Fits just my style. Just don't expect me to slam jump on the table, punch the air and start a bar fight. No, not with the Imperial Watch always on patrol around every district of the city. I sat on the corner, near the basement door, it was rusty, cob-webbed and full of dust; no one must have opened that door in ages. I felt the firm wood of the four-legged stool, that, or the aura of nocturnal darkness surrounding me. I'm in a deep, dark corner, I'm pretty positive that there won't be divine light shining upon me out of the windows sanctimoniously, especially in the evening like this.

I sighed, I got up, realizing the time of night, as a freelance swordswoman I'm free to travel the depths of the caves, the traps of the ancient forts, and the top and low of all of Tamriel. By far, the Merchant's Inn is my favorite inn. The squeaky doorsteps, the enticing door corrosion, the sounds calm me, and it lures me, it's just interesting. I rented a bed prior to prying a conversation of yet another heroic act by the Imperial Ethereal. (His nickname, due to the fact that he favors invisibility spells.) I decided it be best to sleep for the night, I'm not that much of the night owl I used to be when I was in my teen years.

Oh, the pleasure of the bed... Soft, warm blankets, magically locked door. (By me, of course.) And just the atmosphere of relaxation, it soothes you to the bones. The copper tapestries, the gentle texture of the tan-colored bedspread and the rigid stone of the walls. Without hesitation I climbed upon the single bed and instantaneously passed out into a deep, blissful slumber.

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I had awoken to the scent of flames. I don't know what's going on, so I disregarded my nose and thought it was a harmful dream.

"B-By the Nine!" The whole room's ignited! And my bed... It was catching the sparks too! I coughed loudly trying to follow my first instinct and break through the still-intact door. The corridor's massively on fire as well, I-I don't know if this is a nightmare or not! I partially covered my eyes with my right arm because of the ash and broke the door to the ground floor, stumbling down the steps, groaning in the process. I sprained my right ankle. It was just too much, too fast, everything's on fire...! I kept pressure on my right ankle, unable to move, I quickly uttered prayers to the Nine. Akatosh, Dibella, Mara, the Divines, help me get out of this! I scanned the ground floor, the tables were turned, and chairs were broken. The bar table was split in half and all the cracked metal mugs scattered on the floor. The aroma of flesh blood filled the room, mixing with the smolder and flame. Maro Rufus, Thoronir, and the publican of the inn are dead right before me!

I tried my best to stay calm while applying a temporary restoration spell on my ankle before the flames spread on my clothing. I failed, the fabric of my armor caught aflame while I staggered to get up. I quickly ran to the entrance door and barged through, rolling across the concrete floor to my front.

"Oh... No..." The WHOLE IMPERIAL CITY IS ON FIRE! Dead bodies, everywhere! Blood splattered...! I continued to panic while I sprinted toward the door leading to the Elven Gardens district, passing through the blazing buildings, collapsed rooftops and hanging bodies. The slight drizzle helped extinguished the small ember that was spreading on my armor, leaving a clear hole in the material even on the metal. It was a rough thunderstorm; clouds blackening the sky and blinding flashes occurring every six seconds. The Imperial Guards, two of them tumbled over each other; their grey armor was tainted with their blood.

"W-What? N-No, this can't be!" The door to the Elven Gardens District is LOCKED! I fell to my knees, desperate to cry, willing to give up and think my life is over. I can't think that, n-no way! I need to get out of this damned city, ALIVE! I turned around, and I noticed someone.

It's the Imperial Ethereal.

T-The Imperial Ethereal? How'd he survive? I knelt there in absolute shock; his pounding boots traumatized the dead bodies around him. His teal cape flowed with the intense wind and lightning. Then it occurred to me.

He did all of this. He isn't even scratched.

But with that, he stopped; right a yard away from behind the two dead Imperial Watchmen, I never moved a limb, I watched, in wide-eyed horror. My body was sweating crazily; my eyes were shedding tears, and my long dark green ponytail rustling on the broken concrete. He held one arm extended, all of his fingers were pointing toward me. I tensed up, still stricken from the fear of his presence. Each of his five gloved fingers had a distinct radiance enveloping themselves. Each lapsing second the luminosity increased its concentration; it grew and grew... I realized that he was going to electroshock me. I'm defenseless and emotionally weak; I don't have a possibility of surviving. I squeezed my eyes shut, suppressing the urge to rage in desperation. I failed...

"No... NO! Don't do it!" Praise be the Nine Divines...! I screamed in utter loudness in hopes that him or the Divines would answer. But... With that, he clutched thin air with his hands, and the austere light discharged from his finger tips in bright blue crooked manner. It traveled to me in less than half a nanosecond.

I was knocked airborne and abruptly crashed to the large bronze gate. The pain... Enclosed immediately, and, the last seconds of my life... Were spent remembering my short years.

I lost all life on that moment, my eyes gradually dropped lifelessly and my twenty-seven life span here on Nirn, undeniably ended. My body unresistingly entered an eternal sleep...

I await my next life.

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**Just to make this clear, this ISN'T the Daedric invasion on the Imperial City and the Imperial Ethereal is helping. It's a full on assault single-handedly done by him. This is practically a rough 2nd draft, if you find any mistakes on it, please don't hesitate to review or PM me so I could fix 'em.**

**The main character is a nameless female Wood Elf who's 27 years old and has a long, dark green ponytail. Just think of her as your regular swordswoman in the Fighter's Guild.**

**The Imperial Ethereal is the name given to the "hero" who has done many of the countless minor quests in Oblivion. (Think corrupt imperial captain, corrupt Cheydinhal captain, Rythe Lythandas, Glarthir, Thoronir. All the minor goodness in the towns of Cyrodiil.)**

**Hope you enjoyed! (I hope I wasn't too gory with the blood in this story...)**


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